The Next BIG Idea Contest is a joint initiative of Zone Startups India, the Government of Ontario, Canada, and Ryerson University, based in Toronto. The contest was conceptualized in 2013, with the objective of identifying promising tech startups from India, and showcasing them in Toronto.

In 2016, Next BIG Idea Contest was bigger than ever. The contest is being launched across 12 cities, with 11 city-based accelerator partners. Five winners travelled to Toronto for 2 weeks, for soft-landing and market entry at the Digital Media Zone at Ryerson University – Canada’s #1 university-supported startup accelerator. Past winners who have gone on to make a significant progress include CitrusPay, AdSparx, ShieldSquare, Konotor, Vidooly, FLipTech, Plackal, Surveylytics, and Heckyl.

Globally, there is a focus on gender diversity and inclusion – across governments, management boards, and in entrepreneurship. As a small step, empoWer is an initiative by Zone Startups India, for supporting female entrepreneurs.

Launched in 2016, empoWer is an 8-week program, India’s first tech accelerator for women in entrepreneurship. It provides mentorship, industry connections, an extensive peer network, and investor meetings, followed by a 1-year support program. empoWer is looking for female entrepreneurs who are building technology-enabled ventures across different sectors.